ShareGift USA, a 501(c)(3) charity, works with a variety of organizations to identify, aggregate and sell minor, unwanted or dormant shareholdings held by individuals and gives the proceeds to charity. It literally accesses "found money" and puts it to good use. While the amounts of individual donations may be small, when aggregated across thousands or millions of donors, the results are substantial.

By aggregating share donations, ShareGift USA can process them more efficiently than individuals can do on their own. ShareGift USA believes that this charitable option provides a novel way for individuals to donate their smaller shareholdings.

ShareGift USA donates the proceeds in a manner that reflects the philanthropic patterns of generous Americans, focusing on education, health, human services, public society and the environment. Charities to whom ShareGift USA has donated funds include: Scholarship America, The American Heart Association, ChildHelp USA, The National Council on the Aging and The Sierra Club Foundation.

ShareGift USA has recently selected a new roster of charities including First Book, The American Cancer Society, Make a Wish Foundation, The Conservation Fund, and CARE.

 

ShareGift USA benefits all who are involved:

The Shareholder: Too often shareholders fail to sell or donate small shareholdings because their ultimate value does not warrant the effort. By giving these shares to ShareGift USA, donors will receive a tax deduction and be part of a collective giving effort, a new force in American philanthropy. ShareGift USA allows a wide range of individual donors to pool their gifts for greater impact.

The Corporation: Whether through mergers, acquisitions or spin-offs, corporations generate odd lots of shares representing hundreds of millions of dollars. These holdings are often ignored by their owners: a recent survey showed that on average 48% of a corporation’s shareholders owned odd lots, but these accounted for only .05% of the shares voted at annual meetings. With costs of servicing these shareholders at $15 or more per shareholder per year, corporations can incur significant expense in maintaining their registers of odd lot holders. ShareGift USA works with corporations to help them communicate with these individuals and encourage them to donate their holdings, thereby consolidating odd lot shares and reducing costs.

ShareGift USA has undertaken corporate share donation programs with Morgan Stanley, Gannett Co., Inc., Reynolds American Inc., PepsiAmericas, Inc., Circuit City Stores, Inc., Coventry Health Care, Inc. and Viad Corp. In each case, shareholders were given the option of donating their odd lot shares to charity through ShareGift USA, in addition to having the customary options of selling their unwanted holdings or purchasing enough shares to obtain round lots. See the Corporations section for additional information.

The Charity: ShareGift USA literally accesses “found money” by releasing funds tied up in dormant odd lot holdings. ShareGift USA selects charities to receive the proceeds of these odd lot sale transactions, choosing well-known national organizations with demonstrated track records of success and high efficiency ratings. The initial charities selected represent the key areas of charitable giving in the US: education, health, human services, public society and the environment. Over time, ShareGift USA will monitor and select additional charities that meet its criteria. ShareGift USA's only objective is to place as many funds into the hands of worthy charities as possible. Therefore, it will work with interested parties to tailor the selection of charities to meet their requirements.

Creation of ShareGift USA
ShareGift USA, founded in 2004, was inspired by ShareGift, the share donation charity in the UK established in 1996 by Claire Mackintosh, (Viscountess Mackintosh of Halifax), a former pension fund manager, and Matthew Orr, a stockbroker. In the UK, ShareGift has collected millions of pounds for charity and has worked successfully with important UK corporations such as Vodafone, British Telecom, Barclays, BAA, Kingfisher and Marks & Spencer in increasing share donations among their shareholder base. In fact, nearly 50% of the FTSE 100 corporations have participated in share donation programs with ShareGift. Since inception, ShareGift has created and given millions of pounds to charities including the British Red Cross, Cancer Research UK, Save the Children, Help the Aged, and the Wildlife Trust.

ShareGift was recently awarded the Beacon Prize in acknowledgment of its exceptional philanthropic activities.

ShareGift USA was founded with the guidance and cooperation of ShareGift in the UK. It is building on the work of ShareGift by providing a valuable service to individuals and corporations and contributing substantial sums to US charities.